Alessandro DeBrevi
Staff Reporter
adebrevi@jccc.edu
The college is preparing to host its annual Free FAFSA Assistance event to help students fill out their 2018-19 applications.
“We want to help students and families prepare for the upcoming academic year by completing the new FAFSA that just came out, which is 18-19,” said Ashley Jost, financial aid coordinator.
The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, opened early on Oct. 1 this year. Completing the FAFSA helps determine a student’s eligibility for federal aid for the next year, which will begin in the fall of 2018.
“[Federal aid] includes grants, loans and work-study through the government,” said Jost.
The event is open to the public.
“It’s really good for prospective students that might be considering different colleges … even if they aren’t thinking about going to JCCC,” said Jost.
There will be a number of financial aid professionals at the event assisting students who are looking to fill out their 2018-19 FAFSA.
“We’ll have people from our office, some of our employees here that are pretty well-versed in the FAFSA process,” said Jost. “Then we do have some volunteers from around campus that have helped in the past.”
Jost said students will benefit from getting their questions answered in real time.
“It can be a pretty complex application and if it’s the first time you’ve ever filled it out, it’s very helpful to have somebody there to help if you get stuck on a question,” said Jost.
Attending the event can also save students and families time and energy.
Jost said that filling out the FAFSA at the event shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, but it could take longer if it is completed without the help of financial aid professionals.
The event is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 on the second floor of the Student Center. Anyone who is looking to attend this free event can RSVP and find more information here.